There is no place like home!

One of my favorite movies of all times is The Wizard of Oz. It was our family tradition each year around Thanksgiving to watch this classic story about Dorothy and her three wonderful friends the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion as they journeyed down the yellow brick road.

The moral of the story of this classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, comes out of anyone’s life experiences. The moral is to follow your heart’s desire, but to be prepared for many obstacles along the way and it helps to have good and reliable friends. Out of all the lessons Dorothy learned, the greatest one of all is this: There is truly no place like home!

The corona virus pandemic has led us on a unique journey in our lives and has taught us many valuable lessons along the way. The pandemic has taught us to never take the ordinary things in life for granted. We have learned that some of the most ordinary things we do are some of God’s greatest blessings and just how valuable our family and friends truly are.

For many weeks we have been physically separated from our spiritual home, our beautiful St. Patrick Parish.  Our parish has been such an important part of all our lives. It is the place where our children and grandchildren have been baptized. It is the place where our loved ones have journeyed from this world to the next. It is the place where we have been joined with our spouse in holy matrimony. It is the place where we have experienced God’s grace and forgiveness. It is the place where we have received His Precious Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. Thank God we are back home, once again, together as the Body of Christ. I cannot help to echo the words that Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz spoke, with tears of joy some 81 years ago, “There is no place like home.” Welcome home!

Love,
Deacon John